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Each month we take time to answer some of the community’s questions about Star Wars: The Old Republic. If you have a question about one of the eight classes in The Old Republic, please post it in the new Community Q&A thread in the forums. We’ll be gathering questions from that thread on March 25, so be sure to ask your question before that date.
Today, World Designer Jesse Sky has answers to some of your questions about Flashpoints:
Q: Will Flashpoint for Republic and Empire ever meet? - Sirious_Nora
A: Certain Flashpoints, especially at the end game, are available to
both factions. They represent threats so large that neither the
Republic nor the Empire can afford to ignore them. Each side has its own
quest givers, dialogue and motivations, though, so what you get are two
very different looks at the same story.
Q: Are you thinking of introducing side-missions in
Flashpoints where a specific class will be required to
initiate/complete? - KrumStrashnii
A: We have considered adding some optional objectives that require
certain classes or Crew Skills to complete. Of course, it’s a balancing
act – how cool can you make it without forcing players to bring that
ability set along every time? I’m interested in hearing what the
community thinks; let us know your thoughts on the forums!
Q: How many hours of game time must players invest on average
before their first Flashpoint is available to play with friends? -
Fortunetek
A: You’ll encounter your first Flashpoint after your Origin World –
how long you take to complete that is up to you, really. By this time,
you’ll be familiar enough with your class to feel confident taking on
content that requires a group.
Q: Are Flashpoints linear or can you go multiple routes without ruining the storytelling part? - Flopi
A: Your main objectives in a Flashpoint follow a clear path, except
in cases where your story choices modify that path. We use bonus
objectives to introduce elements of non-linearity, and we try to place
surprises off the beaten path.
Q: How will loot be distributed in Flashpoints? - Trishot
A: Loot is distributed according to need/greed rules with a quality
threshold set by the group leader. Players will also accumulate
commendations that can be traded for special gear.
Q: Will it be possible to play a Flashpoint with fewer than four players, whether it's one, two, or three? - Mark
A: For early Flashpoints, you can certainly try, but as you get
deeper into the game, you will need a full group of four players to have
a reasonable chance of surviving the challenges in Flashpoints.
Q: How intricately will the boss fights in Flashpoints be scripted? A typical example would be nice. – Sungil
A: Bosses are scripted to match the fiction and the environments.
They change phases and require players to think on their feet. Most of
all they require coordination. An example off the top of my head is an
Imperial officer who jumps behind cover and calls in a squad of soldiers
with jetpacks. He then spends one stage of the fight sniping you and
sending traps at you while his men arrive in waves.
Q: Will the choices a group makes (e.g. chosen dialogues,
fight tactics, whether you killed enemies or not) have an impact on loot
amount and quality at the end of a Flashpoint? - Elvasan
A: If your group decides to complete optional objectives, you will
absolutely reap better rewards. Some of your story choices may result
in different loot, but we never want group leaders enforcing story
decisions or bailing out halfway because the ‘wrong’ decision was made,
so we avoid associating key rewards with story choices. We want you to
be free to roleplay.
Q: How do you intend to make replaying Flashpoints
interesting (other than using diverse loot tables) in order to encourage
group play and to not have Flashpoints deteriorate into "farm areas"
typical of other games in the genre? - TheOrigin
A: From a gameplay perspective, we try to keep the combat mechanics
dynamic and the pacing strong. We’ve discussed adding elements that
differ from one session to the next, but our top priority is offering a
diverse array of Flashpoints at launch. As a BioWare fan, I find the
stories alone engaging enough to repeat – especially with the
multiplayer conversation system.
Q: How exactly will class roles inside Flashpoints work? Will
it be like in WoW or similar systems with fix systems, in which only
damage dealer can deal damage, in which only tanks can block and only
healer can heal? - Sarnave
A: This is an area where we try to distinguish Flashpoints from
dungeons. While boss fights often require traditional tank and healer
roles, some sections of Flashpoints are paced in such a way that healers
can switch into damage roles and tanks can get a bit more reckless.
Q: Do mobs respawn in a Flashpoint after a certain time, or do they "stay" dead? - MilOuZ
A: Enemies do not respawn in Flashpoints. The story is too tightly
focused for respawning enemies to make sense, and it would have
undesirable gameplay consequences.
Q: Are classes adaptable enough in order to complete a
Flashpoint with a any group (e.g. 4 Jedi Consulars, possibly with the
help of certain companions)? - Ashlack, Akbar
A: You will need a well-balanced group to complete a Flashpoint.
You’ll find some very unique and powerful combinations of Advanced
Classes, but if you stack several players with the same role, you’re not
likely to fare well.
Q: What happens in Flashpoints in case of a wipe in terms of
scenario? Do we have to replay the Flashpoint story from the beginning?
- Askanir
A: If your group wipes, you’ll just need to run back from your most
recent objective. You will not lose any story progress unless your
group leaves the instance and lets its timer expire.
Q: When we reach max level, will it be possible to solo low-level Flashpoints? - Yanis Micropoulos
This is something that we are looking into with in-game testing. A very skilled player probably could.
Thanks for joining us for this Studio Insider! We hope you enjoyed taking a look into the development of Star Wars:
The Old Republic. If you have any questions for the next Community
Q&A focused the eight class in the game, please post them in the new
Community Q&A thread.
In every Studio Insider, we’ll answer more questions directly from the
community. Please keep your questions courteous. We ask that you only
post one question in the thread, and that you try to avoid duplicating
questions that have already been asked. Keep in mind that we can’t talk
about everything just yet, so please don’t feel offended if your
question isn’t selected.
Each month we take time to answer some of the community’s questions about Star Wars: The Old Republic. If you have a question about one of the eight classes in The Old Republic, please post it in the new Community Q&A thread in the forums. We’ll be gathering questions from that thread on March 25, so be sure to ask your question before that date.
Today, World Designer Jesse Sky has answers to some of your questions about Flashpoints:
Q: Will Flashpoint for Republic and Empire ever meet? - Sirious_Nora
A: Certain Flashpoints, especially at the end game, are available to
both factions. They represent threats so large that neither the
Republic nor the Empire can afford to ignore them. Each side has its own
quest givers, dialogue and motivations, though, so what you get are two
very different looks at the same story.
Q: Are you thinking of introducing side-missions in
Flashpoints where a specific class will be required to
initiate/complete? - KrumStrashnii
A: We have considered adding some optional objectives that require
certain classes or Crew Skills to complete. Of course, it’s a balancing
act – how cool can you make it without forcing players to bring that
ability set along every time? I’m interested in hearing what the
community thinks; let us know your thoughts on the forums!
Q: How many hours of game time must players invest on average
before their first Flashpoint is available to play with friends? -
Fortunetek
A: You’ll encounter your first Flashpoint after your Origin World –
how long you take to complete that is up to you, really. By this time,
you’ll be familiar enough with your class to feel confident taking on
content that requires a group.
Q: Are Flashpoints linear or can you go multiple routes without ruining the storytelling part? - Flopi
A: Your main objectives in a Flashpoint follow a clear path, except
in cases where your story choices modify that path. We use bonus
objectives to introduce elements of non-linearity, and we try to place
surprises off the beaten path.
Q: How will loot be distributed in Flashpoints? - Trishot
A: Loot is distributed according to need/greed rules with a quality
threshold set by the group leader. Players will also accumulate
commendations that can be traded for special gear.
Q: Will it be possible to play a Flashpoint with fewer than four players, whether it's one, two, or three? - Mark
A: For early Flashpoints, you can certainly try, but as you get
deeper into the game, you will need a full group of four players to have
a reasonable chance of surviving the challenges in Flashpoints.
Q: How intricately will the boss fights in Flashpoints be scripted? A typical example would be nice. – Sungil
A: Bosses are scripted to match the fiction and the environments.
They change phases and require players to think on their feet. Most of
all they require coordination. An example off the top of my head is an
Imperial officer who jumps behind cover and calls in a squad of soldiers
with jetpacks. He then spends one stage of the fight sniping you and
sending traps at you while his men arrive in waves.
Q: Will the choices a group makes (e.g. chosen dialogues,
fight tactics, whether you killed enemies or not) have an impact on loot
amount and quality at the end of a Flashpoint? - Elvasan
A: If your group decides to complete optional objectives, you will
absolutely reap better rewards. Some of your story choices may result
in different loot, but we never want group leaders enforcing story
decisions or bailing out halfway because the ‘wrong’ decision was made,
so we avoid associating key rewards with story choices. We want you to
be free to roleplay.
Q: How do you intend to make replaying Flashpoints
interesting (other than using diverse loot tables) in order to encourage
group play and to not have Flashpoints deteriorate into "farm areas"
typical of other games in the genre? - TheOrigin
A: From a gameplay perspective, we try to keep the combat mechanics
dynamic and the pacing strong. We’ve discussed adding elements that
differ from one session to the next, but our top priority is offering a
diverse array of Flashpoints at launch. As a BioWare fan, I find the
stories alone engaging enough to repeat – especially with the
multiplayer conversation system.
Q: How exactly will class roles inside Flashpoints work? Will
it be like in WoW or similar systems with fix systems, in which only
damage dealer can deal damage, in which only tanks can block and only
healer can heal? - Sarnave
A: This is an area where we try to distinguish Flashpoints from
dungeons. While boss fights often require traditional tank and healer
roles, some sections of Flashpoints are paced in such a way that healers
can switch into damage roles and tanks can get a bit more reckless.
Q: Do mobs respawn in a Flashpoint after a certain time, or do they "stay" dead? - MilOuZ
A: Enemies do not respawn in Flashpoints. The story is too tightly
focused for respawning enemies to make sense, and it would have
undesirable gameplay consequences.
Q: Are classes adaptable enough in order to complete a
Flashpoint with a any group (e.g. 4 Jedi Consulars, possibly with the
help of certain companions)? - Ashlack, Akbar
A: You will need a well-balanced group to complete a Flashpoint.
You’ll find some very unique and powerful combinations of Advanced
Classes, but if you stack several players with the same role, you’re not
likely to fare well.
Q: What happens in Flashpoints in case of a wipe in terms of
scenario? Do we have to replay the Flashpoint story from the beginning?
- Askanir
A: If your group wipes, you’ll just need to run back from your most
recent objective. You will not lose any story progress unless your
group leaves the instance and lets its timer expire.
Q: When we reach max level, will it be possible to solo low-level Flashpoints? - Yanis Micropoulos
This is something that we are looking into with in-game testing. A very skilled player probably could.
Thanks for joining us for this Studio Insider! We hope you enjoyed taking a look into the development of Star Wars:
The Old Republic. If you have any questions for the next Community
Q&A focused the eight class in the game, please post them in the new
Community Q&A thread.
In every Studio Insider, we’ll answer more questions directly from the
community. Please keep your questions courteous. We ask that you only
post one question in the thread, and that you try to avoid duplicating
questions that have already been asked. Keep in mind that we can’t talk
about everything just yet, so please don’t feel offended if your
question isn’t selected.
